, buoyed by a rise in U.S. stocks following an uptick in oil prices. A weakening of the Japanese yen pushed Tokyo's benchmark higher. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 2.0 percent to 17,236.37, as exporters' shares were lifted by the weaker yen, which can boost their profits. Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 1.8 percent to 21,610.86. The Shanghai Composite index added 0.1 percent to 2,976.02. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.1 percent to 5,339.10. South Korea's KOSPI was up 0.7 percent to 2,018.81. Southeast Asian markets were higher.